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Mon, 10 Apr 2017 03:11:28 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://s2.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.pnghttps://karenjjewellery.wordpress.com
One Man’s Junk…https://karenjjewellery.wordpress.com/2016/12/02/one-mans-junk/
https://karenjjewellery.wordpress.com/2016/12/02/one-mans-junk/#commentsFri, 02 Dec 2016 14:11:50 +0000http://karenjjewellery.wordpress.com/?p=823Continue reading One Man’s Junk…]]>Well, I have to admit, I am a very happy bunny. I have discovered a treasure chest!

Well, not literally, but in my line of jewellery, it may as well be.

This picture doesn’t look much, but it is a beach. When a friend of mine told me what she had found there, I couldn’t get there quick enough!

Dig deeper, and this is what I found!

I’ve always dreamed of going to Sea Glass Beach in California, but seeing I’m on the other side of the Atlantic, it was very unlikely. However, look at the beauties here! Not only sea glass, but lovely ceramics too. I posted last year about wire wrapping stones from the beach, but this really does take the biscuit!

I’ve been sworn to secrecy as to its location, but my friend did say supplies were really depleted compared to her first visit, so I do think it’s a one off as this beach isn’t well known for sea glass. But all in all, I have plenty to keep me going here.

I can’t really recall what inspired me to include animals as part of my designs but I do recall wanting my animal designs to stand out.

It is not easy to try and establish the correct shape of the animal but my aim was to achieve a shape so you could recognise what animal it is! Lots of sketching was required before hand, certainly with my horse and seahorse pendants.

I wanted to achieve a sense of individuality with my designs and to feel confident my customer would know they have something different and original.

I don’t really know if any other animals may be on the agenda. I would love to create the shape of an elephant head, but would someone wear it? That is the question.

Choose a light colour to start with in the centre of the Mandala then gradually work round each colour graduating out. Or you may want to work round the wheel starting with a dark colour. Alternatively, use colours opposite each other on the wheel.

2 Don’t fill the whole shape with colour – draw closely spaced parallel lines. When you graduate to the next round, change directions of your lines.

In my post “What Stole My Mojo?” I asked you to take a peek at my Etsy shop to see if you could see anything not jewellery related.

Did you spot my new designs?

Am I mad to change direction including these design with my jewellery?

Life can be hectic, and although I find making my wirework jewellery very therapeutic, sometimes I just want to snuggle up and watch TV. However, I find it hard sometimes just to sit there – my hands need to be busy. Then I discovered Zentangle – art therapy, meditative drawing to reduce stress, increase wellbeing and enhance relaxation. It was only about 6 weeks ago, and for the life of me, I can’t think how I came upon it. Here’s an example of Zentangle that I done.

I’m not going to go into details about Zentangle – check it out yourself. Please don’t say “I can’t draw.” Being able to draw is not a requirement!

As a result of Zentangle, I began to “zendoodle” and created pictures that you are able to colour in. I then moved on and designed my very first Mandal picture. Mandala is a circular figure representing the universe in Hindu and Buddhist symbolism.

I’ll be talking about my Mandala in my next post and will be give some guidance on how to colour it.

As there appears to be a colouring craze going on at the moment, I hope my designs provide some pleasure.

What creative process have you discovered or rediscovered in yourself?

]]>https://karenjjewellery.wordpress.com/2016/11/04/doodling-off-topic/feed/1EPSON MFP imagekayjay338EPSON MFP imagezentangleWhat is in a letter?https://karenjjewellery.wordpress.com/2016/10/28/what-is-in-a-letter/
https://karenjjewellery.wordpress.com/2016/10/28/what-is-in-a-letter/#respondFri, 28 Oct 2016 10:15:44 +0000http://karenjjewellery.wordpress.com/?p=644Continue reading What is in a letter?]]>If you’ve connected to my Facebook page, or have visited my shop, you may have noticed the alphabet fairy has dropped by.

It has been on my mind to do letters for a while, and I’m so pleased I did as they were a pleasure to make. One reason why, is that I can pretty much keep it freeform and go with the flow to create the look I’m after.

I’ll be honest though, I won’t be working through the alphabet, unless there is a demand, as some letters would be trickier (though that wouldn’t stop me trying!).

I’ve marketed these letters as pendant necklaces or bag charms and most of my tags relate to “initial letter.” My question is, when you see a letter, or monogram, is your name your initial thought (no pun intended!).

Bearing that in mind, would you wear a letter that wasn’t your initial, but meant something else to you ie your partner’s name, your pet name, or something more general like ‘peace’ or ‘love’?

It would be interesting to see if anyone thinks outside the box. Let me know what you think?

I feel quite guilty to be honest that I neglected my blog because I made such an effort to get it up and running in the first place. Here’s the thing though – I had a website at the time and I made a conscious decision to remove my website in favour of opening an Etsy shop. And so I took the leap and I soon realised how much time and effort you need to run an Etsy shop.

I also realised that I was competing in a category that is the top category in Etsy – Jewellery/Jewelry. It is estimated by December 2016 there will be 12,885,710 jewellery listings worldwide in Etsy. So you can see, I’ve certainly got my work cut out trying to get my listings seen by shoppers!! At the end of the day though, it fits in with my lifestyle, and that suits me fine.

However, I realised I was missing my blog, and now I’ve got to the stage where I can concentrate on both my shop and my blog.

Please feel free to take a peek at my shop KarenJJewellery You will see my wirework jewellery, but you will also see something else, very much unexpected and not jewellery related!

So a big thank you for joining me again and I look forward to connecting with you.

]]>https://karenjjewellery.wordpress.com/2016/10/22/what-stole-my-mojo/feed/3kayjay338mojoScavenger Hunt Winners are…..https://karenjjewellery.wordpress.com/2016/05/28/scavenger-hunt-winners-are/
https://karenjjewellery.wordpress.com/2016/05/28/scavenger-hunt-winners-are/#respondSat, 28 May 2016 07:21:36 +0000http://karenjjewellery.wordpress.com/?p=572]]>TheBarrSpool has a beautiful collection of quilting squares, you can even custom order from his shop! I started out making a quilt for myself after searching department store after department store…

]]>https://karenjjewellery.wordpress.com/2016/05/28/scavenger-hunt-winners-are/feed/0kayjay338Saturday SHOP OF THE DAY IS….https://karenjjewellery.wordpress.com/2016/05/02/saturday-shop-of-the-day-is/
https://karenjjewellery.wordpress.com/2016/05/02/saturday-shop-of-the-day-is/#respondMon, 02 May 2016 07:28:51 +0000http://karenjjewellery.wordpress.com/?p=569]]>Karen Brown from KarenJJewellery, congratulations! You are Support the Makers Team shop of the day! I love Karen’s shop, she has some beautiful jewelry designs like the one featured below: Handcr…

]]>https://karenjjewellery.wordpress.com/2016/05/02/saturday-shop-of-the-day-is/feed/0kayjay338Knitting Like the Vikingshttps://karenjjewellery.wordpress.com/2015/11/08/knitting-like-the-vikings/
https://karenjjewellery.wordpress.com/2015/11/08/knitting-like-the-vikings/#commentsSun, 08 Nov 2015 12:17:20 +0000http://karenjjewellery.wordpress.com/?p=556Continue reading Knitting Like the Vikings]]>I write this with a pit in my stomach. Is that the right expression?

It’s been a mixed week. I must admit, only because I’m quite used to my weekly routines and half term last week (which was great by the way), has thrown my routine out of sync. There’s also been a Birthday to prepare for, a job application to contemplate and my vacuum decided to stop vacuuming. Then I get that dreaded phone call from school…there’s been an accident…my youngest son has had a fall…and his front tooth has broken. His adult tooth. I am crying inside, I tell you, and every time I think of it, I feel this almighty thud in my stomach. I know all mums and dads reading this will resonate with that.

I won’t go into the dental details but I do foresee lots of dental visits in the future. No one ever says being a parent is easy and when times do get a little testing, I know with confidence that I can go to my craft, for some therapeutic support! Believe me, once you get into the zone, it works wonders.

I decided to return to practice a technique which I have only recently tried – Viking Knit. This technique is also known as Trichinopoly but Viking Knit sounds a bit more exciting, and is easier to say! In brief, it is the type of a weave/chain which origin dates back as far as Viking era of 9th and 10th centuries but I won’t embellish any more of its history as it appears ambiguous.

The first technique I tried was the actual chain. There is a branded tool available to help create the tubular chain and although it does take some practice, there is something very therapeutic about creating this.

First attempt at Viking Weave chain.

Another design using the technique is wrapping a cabochon. This is the design I did this week and I loved it! It can only work on certain shapes as the weave needs to anchor the stone, but once I started I couldn’t stop until it was finished. Turn it sideways and I can see a fish and even a hedgehog!

I was so pleased I did this, one for taking my mind off my poor son’s tooth, and another for reigniting my desire to knit like a Viking!